Raleigh, N.C. (Oct. 9, 4:30 p.m.)—North Carolina’s electric cooperatives’ are making steady progress restoring power to cooperative members throughout central North Carolina, as well as southern, eastern and coastal communities.

Outages:
As of 4 p.m., the cooperatives are reporting 198,000 outages, down from an 11 a.m. peak of 270,000 outages.

Restoration efforts:Distribution: Impeded by overwashed roads, fallen trees, debris and flooding, cooperative line and tree crews have worked diligently to repair co-op distribution systems as safely and quickly as possible. The most impacted co-ops have been joined by 236 additional linemen from other North Carolina-based co-ops, as well as out-of-state co-ops. Together, these crews are navigating dangerous, complicated conditions before they can reach restoration points, and it is expected this effort will last several days if not longer.

Transmission: Many outages are transmission-based, and the electric cooperatives are working with transmission service providers to make sure those high-voltage service lines are restored as quickly as possible. When transmission outages are restored, the cooperatives will be able to re-energize affected substations and bring service back to a significant portion of cooperative members.

Safety:

Only use generators and charcoal grills in well-ventilated areas; a garage does not count as a well-ventilated area.

Never touch a downed power line, and remember that sometimes debris can cover fallen lines, making them difficult to spot.

Thank you:
The electric cooperatives thank cooperative members for their patience; getting your power back on is our priority, and we will get it done as safely and quickly as possible.

North Carolina’s 26 electric cooperatives collectively serve approximately 2.5 million people in 93 of the state’s 100 counties.Six electric cooperatives serve 16 North Carolina beaches, and many more serve hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in other parts of eastern North Carolina.